From board games to jigsaw puzzles and even an 'ancient' computer console: How you can turn old entertainments into a family fortune

Smartphone game Pokémon Go has taken the gaming world by storm – but this virtual monster hunt is probably just a passing fad.

Here, Toby Walne tracks down more traditional games to be played this summer that not only pass the test of time, but can also prove shrewd investments.

Card tricks: Magician Laura London says a vintage deck can be a winning investment

PLAYING CARDS

The summer holiday is when family and friends come together – often spending time playing cards.

Cards have come a long way since the 18th Century when it was believed they encouraged drunkenness and gambling.

In a bid to keep a lid on unruly behaviour – and raise money – the Government started taxing pack sales. In the early 1800s a pack worth a farthing (quarter of an old penny – about 0.1p) had a tax of two shillings and six old pence (12.5p) imposed on top of the sale price.

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From 1828, proof that this tax had been paid was a stamp of approval on the Ace of Spades – 'Old Fizzle'. Even today this card has more intricate markings than the others.

As a result of the crippling tax, early card decks are scarce – so surviving packs are valuable. A limited set of cards by the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards from this era can sell for £2,000.

Some modern playing cards can also command high prices. Magician Laura London, from Clapton, East London, is a sleight-of-hand card trick artist and a member of the Magic Circle. She says: 'A vintage deck of cards can be a great investment.'

Among her collection, Laura has a set of 1970s playing cards called 'Jerry's Nugget' that is worth £500. The cards originally sold for 50 cents – about 38p – and were named after a casino in Las Vegas that had them made.

Some modern playing cards can also command high prices

Originally produced for the gaming table, they are now sought after by sleight-of-hand artists such as Laura because they are thinner than modern cards and have a glossy finish no longer available.

Laura adds: 'The cards are valuable if in their original packaging. I possess an untouched set but I also have another deck that is worth little as the cards have been opened and played with. It is important not to collect just to make money but for the joy the cards bring.'

She supports the Breathe Magic programme which uses cards to help children with motor disorders or suffering some form of paralysis. It also helps stroke victims. Guy's and St Thomas' Charity backs the scheme.

Card games such as Snap, Happy Families and Whot! can be valuable if they were made in the late 19th Century – because of their rarity. Packs in top condition can command prices of up to £100.

BOARD GAMES

Become a property mogul and then you can Trump Donald at his own game

Board game Trump costs £50, but it could be worth more if he gets into the White House

If the rain comes down during Board games the summer holiday, a board game can brighten the mood. Monopoly might often cause family arguments, but it is the most popular game in history.

A black box set may be worth £100 if made before the Second World War.

Monopoly creator Charles Darrow came up with the game in 1933 after adapting an earlier version called The Landlord's Game, invented in 1903.

The first Monopoly boards were based on the streets of Atlantic City in the US and can sell for £90,000 while early copies of The Landlord's Game go for as much as £10,000.

Sarah McClure, 35, from Manchester, plays board games with husband Christopher, 30, and children Darcy, six, and Oliver, four. She also trades games through her website Vintage Playtime.

She says: 'The choice of games is huge. For example, you can try to beat US Presidential candidate Donald Trump at his own game with the 2004 board game Trump.

The objective is to become a property billionaire. It costs £50 now, but the game could be worth a lot more if he gets into the White House.'

Game on: Sarah McClure plays Mouse Trap with Darcy and Oliver

Sarah believes the quality of games has suffered over the years as manufacturers have cut costs to boost profits. She says: 'The Mouse Trap Game was introduced in 1963 and you can still buy an original set with all the mechanical parts for £50. It is far superior to later examples which did away with many of the original parts.'

Other timeless classics include Buccaneer, Escape From Colditz and Escalado. Pristine condition sets can fetch £100. A 1972 original edition of Master Mind is still great value at £20.

I-SPY BOOKS

I-Spy with my little eye... a book worth £20 that first cost sixpence

I-Spy books: In good condition they sell for more than £10 each

Long car journeys used to be a major part of the holiday experience – and the series of I-Spy books helped to keep youngsters alert looking out of the window.

They started in 1948 as Spotterbooks. Costing a shilling each, the first edition was Spotting Famous Cars – with an autographed photo by comedian Tommy Handley given to the first 25 people who wrote in with proof they had spotted cars such as the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. The books now fetch up to £20.

The I-Spy series was originally self-published by former head teacher Charles Warrell and was a derivation of the game known as 'I spy with my little eye something beginning with…' In 1952, using the pseudonym Big Chief I-Spy, he brought out a series of pocket-sized I-Spy books at 6 old pence (2½p) published by The New Chronicle.

Among the first titles were I-Spy At The Seaside, I-Spy on the Farm and I-Spy on a Train Journey.

In good condition they sell for more than £10 each but if you have anything related to the I-Spy Club that enthusiasts sometimes signed up to, it can be worth far more.

David Neill, 66, from Bushby in Leicestershire, has been an I-Spy fan since a child when travelling in the back of his father's early Hillman Minx.

He now trades vintage ephemera through his website Paper & Plastics. David says: 'The early I-Spy books still represent great value. The illustrations are fabulous to look at.'

He adds: 'Those that joined the I-Spy Club received a feather if they could prove they had seen everything mentioned in a book. Spot everything in all the books and you would have built a Red Indian head dress now worth £100.'

David says early I-Spy books that are unmarked can still be bought for under £5. He does not believe later editions made after the Dickens Press imprints of the 1960s are worth collecting.

JIGSAW PUZZLES

Hand-cut wooden jigsaws can fetch £1,000 – but only if you can find ALL the pieces!

The jigsaw puzzle was enjoyed by the wealthiest people in society a century ago

The jigsaw puzzle was enjoyed by the wealthiest people in society a century ago when wood, rather than cheap cardboard, was used.

It started as an educational tool. Find a jigsaw of the map of England with cut-out counties, made by John Spilsbury in the 1760s, and it could be worth £2,000.

Early 20th Century jigsaws hand cut from wood cost more than 40 shillings – three times the average worker's weekly wage – so only the richest could indulge in this luxury pastime.

It was not until after the Second World War when cardboard cuts were introduced that everyone could enjoy putting a jigsaw together.

The Queen is a paid-up member of The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library and likes to indulge in a puzzle or two during her winter stay at Sandringham in Norfolk. The library was founded in 1933 when most people could not afford to buy a puzzle.

David Shearer, chief librarian at The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library, says: 'Old wooden puzzles were not just designed to keep people entertained on rainy days – they were often seriously challenging.

'There would be no photo or drawing on the box and the pieces were cut by a true craftsman who would weave their own artistry into the chosen picture.'

Puzzles with as few as 650 pieces could take weeks to complete, he says. For collectors, among the most sought-after games are hand-cut wooden jigsaws made by Par Puzzles. Its earliest 1930s games can cost £1,000.

Another collectable name is Raphael Tuck & Sons. In the early 20th Century, it made so-called Zag-Zaw picture puzzles that now fetch at least £50.

Parker Brothers, a famous games manufacturer, was selling high quality wooden jigsaw puzzles from the late 19th Century. Its most sought-after puzzles, sold under the Parker Pastimes name, can now sell for £200.

Shearer adds: 'Condition is key and to be of investment quality you need an original box. Values plummet even if just one jigsaw piece is missing.'

Annual membership of The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library costs £150. For further information on historic jigsaws visit the website The Jigasaurus.

COMPUTER GAMES

Forget Pokémon Go... the real fun is finding an old Atari in the attic and selling it for £700

Nostalgia: Wood-veneered Atari 2600 came out in 1982 and plugged into the back of a TV

Pokemon Go may end up being a passing craze but old computer games and consoles still have collectible value.

Prices for old games are rising as a result of nostalgia for an era when part of the fun was wasting hours waiting for downloads of basic but strangely addictive games.

For many people, their baptism into the world of computer games came with the wood-veneered Atari 2600 that came out in 1982 and plugged into the back of a TV.

These can now sell for as much as £700 in pristine condition while long-forgotten cartridge games – ET for example – that are slotted into the console can sell for £25.

New craze: A young girl playing Pokemon Go

Another console that changed the way computers were used was the Sinclair ZX81 of 1981 and a year later the ZX Spectrum. These can both sell for £200 if with their original box.

The 1984 Amstrad Computer CPC464 can sell for more than £500 if in excellent condition – with old game favourites such as Chuckie Egg costing a tenner. Sega Saturn was released in 1995 and can sell for more than £500 – above the £400 original sales price, according to research by website TotallyMoney.

Another short-lived wonder – the handheld Game Gear launched by Sega in 1991 – changes hands for more than £300. The Neo Geo console from 1990 bombed on launch due to its £450 price tag, but it now sells for £700.